5 Food Do’s and Don’ts That Can Make or Break Your Final Grade

Get a leg up on everyone else this year.

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When you’re studying for finals and stressing about your inability to memorize obscure terms, it’s so easy to grasp onto anything that could give you an edge while studying. What if the shortcut to acing your final was in your study snacks?

Food gives you nutrients, which is pretty much obvious to anyone that’s been accepted into college. But a lot of people forget about the effects food can have on your mind, not just your body.

1. DO drink water.

Photo by Kirsten Kumar

Physiological effects: Water wakes up your brain and wards off stress-induced headaches and illnesses that always seem to conveniently come up around finals. You might not need to go to this extreme, but drinking more water is definitely a must.

Psychologicaleffects: You’ll have to pee more often and need to refill your water bottle more, giving you a reason to get up and walk around (’cause we all know how one hour of work can turn into five hours before you know it).

2. DON’T restrict food or calorie intake.

Photo by Gabby Phi

Psychological effects: This will cause cravings, a drop in blood sugar and an inability to focus. Although you might be wanting to look bikini-ready by summer, finals week certainly isn’t the week to go on an extreme diet.

Psychological effects: You’ll get distracted by an empty stomach, so it’s best to keep some snacks on hand if you don’t have time to make it to the dining hall.

3. DO use food as a way to take a break.

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Physiological effects: This gives your brain time to rest and relax. Try these snacksif you don’t have time to leave the library, but make sure to focus on your food. Chances are if you don’t take some kind of break while studying you’re going to go a crazy.

Psychologicaleffects: This will prevent you from getting hangry when you’re almost at the point of breaking down around 3 AM.

4. DON’T eat large spaced out meals.

Photo courtesy of Friends Season 10

Physiologicaleffects: This will leave you feeling bloated and tired (bleh).

Psychologicaleffects: You’ll save time by bringing small snacks with you to the library, like nuts or fruit, giving you more time to study so you’ll stress less.

Physiologicaleffects: Even though a candy bar will be calling your name from the vending machine, eating these and other whole foods instead of prepackaged and sugar-loaded foods will help you study because of the nutrients affect your body and brain

Psychologicaleffects: You can tell yourself that you have an edge up on your finals this time around because you’re eating the best foods for your brain.

If you still feel like you need a little brain boost, check out these links: